The "D-Word(s)"

One of the sweet little pleasures of working with kids is the infamous swearing tattletale. Imagine, you're the teacher, just wrapping up an impossibly short lunch "break," where you made copies, fixed the copy machine, planned some lessons, dug out the obscure liquid glue bottle and borax you need for an upcoming science lesson, ate a bit of your lunch, and set up the projector for your next lesson, all while the class was running around at recess. Suddenly, a child BURSTS into the classroom yelling about how someone said "THE D-WORD" on the playground. As a new teacher, my mind would've immediately thought of the worst d-word and been furious. Those familiar with working with kids know to ask which word they said before jumping to conclusions. Depending on the age of the kids, whatever counts as the dreaded d-word can vary greatly: dirty, dumb, damn, I'll let you imagine further. ☺

Here's a collection of d-words that come to my mind:

• DELIGHT - The absolute SQUEALS of delight from the backseat as Q listens to and dances to the Wheels on the Bus during our pre-dawn drive to daycare. This is extra exciting and delightful now that she's starting to sing along. The little "beep beep beep," while her chubby little hand honks the horn will always be my favorite.

  • And can I just say, I loathe trying to find children's music that isn't absolutely repulsive. The songs themselves are catchy, and I'm all about using music especially in language development. But I'd like to speak to whoever is in charge. We don't need all the bells and whistles. It is not a contest to see who can make the most obnoxious noises, okay?

• DO-DO-DO - Another d-word, daycare, is responsible for my being at risk of Baby Shark being my top song of 2024. It's truly despicable they'd do this to me, but again, sweet Quinn's delight is worth it. It's important to note that while my listening of choice is a good audiobook, and Quinn often does a great job of just relaxing and looking out the window while I'm "lost" in a book during our commute, when we do play her music in the car, I immediately follow it with my indie-folk music to try to defer Spotify from requesting things like the Wiggles.

• DESPAIR - The day my dad died suddenly, this is the only word I could use to describe how I felt. Of course that feeling has lasted much longer than that one day, but I vividly remember sitting at a table at my aunt and uncle's describing my sorrow as despair. My heart aches for the past version of myself as I went through it, and it aches for anyone in the trenches of despair right now. And I still have bouts where it creeps in, and I'm face-to-face with the deep sorrow of missing my parents.

• DISTRACTION - Overcoming distraction is something I'm unintentionally prioritizing this year. It just keeps coming up. I've already blogged about the book Stolen Focus here, but Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley and Undistracted by Bob Goff are helping me to see distraction through a faith-based lens, and it's profound. One little nugget from Habits of the Household is that since we have a deep longing for the Lord, we wake up seeking Him. When we grab our phones first, we then spend our days trying to satisfy that longing through social media or screen time, which of course doesn't work. While Justin Whitmel Earley phrases things far more eloquently than I just did, I've found this to be so true in my own life and am working to combat my phone usage with quiet prayer instead.

• DESSERT - I once heard a non-family guest reflect at my grandparents' cabin that our family is a "dessert family."As I looked down at my plate of three desserts, I thought he might be onto something. Ever since then, I've really run with that identity. Growing up, we never had to choose between options at big family get-togethers, and big desserts, like pie and cake, were just a special treat at our house. My dad commented often that he'd never met a dessert he didn't like. I really feel like a meal isn't complete without a little something sweet. I think my upbringing has helped me have a healthier relationship with food. I don't feel like I have to earn dessert, which is a good thing, since I'm really not interested in a life without the good stuff.

• DREAM - I've always focused on my own dreams, never really noticing how absolutely fulfilling it is to cheer on loved ones as they chase their dreams. It's wonderful to make this switch during my current season.

• DRIVE - This one has multiple meanings; determination and driving a car, both of which are great but lack significant reflections from me at this time. The third meaning of drive that I can think of is on the golf course. While I spend a decent amount of my life whining about how much golf is watched in our house and played by my husband, I can't deny the beauty of the sound of a solid drive off the tee box. Especially on a perfect, sunny summer day.

• DEVOUR - I want a life full of devour. Devouring stories with the very best words. Devouring cookies made by the very best mom and now me. Devouring wisdom from all the wonderful humans in my life. Devouring adventure, service, joy, and love in all that I can.

• DEVOTION - Like dedicated but with more heart and significance, right? Can someone truly be devoted to more than one thing? I'm working on being a devoted wife and mother - can I be devoted if I'm only a few years in? It seems like a word that shows the long haul. I guess if devotion is singular, like priority used to be, I want to be devoted to a life striving for holiness.

• DO & DONE - Oh, how it stinks to be caught up in the world of to-do lists, doing, and getting things done. When it's all said and done, did I get the peace I was grasping for? Pretty sure productivity won't matter in the end. It won't bring peace. Choosing to step into the quiet and slow does. Let's prioritize the kind of doing that's not a to-do list: writing, reading, baking, painting, building.

  • Having a toddler as a roommate is such a gift when it comes to this. I'm grateful for the excuse to build with blocks or run around with no point in sight. Quinn slows down the doing, so even the tasks we have to complete are fun, easy, and unrushed.

Students in my class get a front-row seat to my love of words. Our days are full of me quickly scratching beautiful ones on our whiteboard in the middle of read aloud, wondering where words come from, and trying to use the very best words in our conversations and writing. The world is full of delight, despair, dumb, doing, and so much more.

-J